87 people injured in Hong Kong ferry accident

HONG KONG: A high-speed ferry traveling from Hong Kong to Macau collided with an “unidentified object” on Friday, injuring 87 people and raising new concerns over maritime safety a year after a ferry crash claimed 39 lives.

Last month the city marked the one-year anniversary of the fatal ferry collision off Lamma island, Hong Kong’s worst maritime disaster for over 40 years that sparked widespread shock in a city usually proud of its safety record.

In the latest accident, the double-deck hydrofoil “Madeira” carrying 105 passengers and 10 crew hit “an unidentifiable object” around 1:15 a.m. local time near one of Hong Kong’s small outlying islands, boat operator TurboJet said.

“We know 87 people were injured, three of whom are in a serious condition,” a Hong Kong government spokeswoman told Agence France-Presse.

It was not clear what the object was but passengers described being hurled out of their seats by the force of the nighttime collision.

“There was suddenly a loud bang. The ferry was thrown upwards. Then many passengers were thrown out from their seats,” one passenger identified as Wong was quoted as saying by Hong Kong’s Apple Daily.